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Electricity Generation Electricity is produced at a an electric power plant. Some fuel source, such as coal, oil, natural gas, or nuclear energy produces heat. The heat is used to boi l water to create steam. The steam under high pressure is used to spin a turbine . The spinning turbine interacts with a system of magnets to produce electricity . The electricity is transmitted as moving electrons through a series of wires t o homes and business. This is a typical electric power plant located in Shawville, Pennsylvania. Notice the large pile of coal on the left side of the plant. Notice the three smokestacks, each one taller than the previous. The tallest stack was built to cut down on the local air pollution. The sulfur o xides are emitted higher into the atmosphere. This has not proven to be a soluti on to the probelm. As a result the sulfur oxides now travel great distances befo re coming down in the form of acid rain.

Click for larger image Click for larger image Electric Power Plants: Electric Power Plants have a number of components in common and are an interesti ng study in the various forms and changes of energy necessary to produce electri city. Boiler Unit: Almost all of power plants operate by heating water in a boiler uni t into super heated steam at very high pressures. The source of heat from combus tion reactions may vary in fossil fuel plants from the source of fuels such as c oal, oil, or natural gas. Biomass or waste plant parts may also be used as a sou rce of fuel. In some areas solid waste incinerators are also used as a source of heat. All of these sources of fuels result in varying amounts of air pollution, as well as, the carbon dioxide ( a gas implicated in global warming problems). In a nuclear power plant, the fission chain reaction of splitting nuclei provide s the source of heat. Turbine-Generator: The super heated steam is used to spin the blades of a turbin e, which in turn is used in the generator to turn a coil of wires within a circu lar arrangements of magnets. The rotating coil of wire in the magnets results in the generation of electricity. Cooling Water: After the steam travels through the turbine, it must be cooled an d condensed back into liquid water to start the cycle over again. Cooling water

can be obtained from a nearby river or lake. The water is returned to the body o f water 10 -20 degrees higher in temperature than the intake water. Alternate me thod is to use a very tall cooling tower, where the evaporation of water falling through the tower provides the cooling effect.

Creating Electricity using a Generator: If a magnetic field can create a current then we have a means of generating elec tricity. Experiments showed that a magnetic just sitting next to a wire produced no current flow through that wire. However, if the magnet is moving, a current is induced in the wire. The faster the magnet moves, the greater the induced cur rent. This is the principal behind simple electric generators in which a wire loop is rotated between to stationary magnetics. This produces a continuously varying vo ltage which in turn produces an alternating current . Diagram of a simple electric generator is shown on the left. To generate electricty then, some (mechanical) mechanism is used to turn a crank that rotates a loop of wire between stationary magnets. The faster the crank tu rns, the more current that is generated. In hydroelectric, the falling water turns the turbine. The wind can also turn th e turbine. In fossil fuel plants and nuclear plants, water is heated to steam wh ich turns the turbine. Reference: http://zebu.uoregon.edu/1999/ph161/l3.html